Stephen Hawking says aliens may not be safe to contact

Stephen Hawking says aliens may not want to be contacted, lest they levitate our bodies away in the dark of night via tractor beam. (Photo: NASA)

British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking says aliens likely do exist, according to The Times. However, attempts humanity makes to contact them could produce “catastrophic results.” Hawking, who is promoting a Discovery Channel series entitled “Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking,” finds the possibility of extraterrestrial life to be quite rational, but knowing their nature will prove to be quite a challenge. Would they use payday loans, for instance?

“If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn’t turn out well for the Native Americans,” Stephen Hawking warned.

Stephen Hawking: Aliens may look to colonize other worlds

When it comes to the development of intelligent life, Stephen Hawking realizes that aliens could be much like human beings. We have developed into a species that has frequently resorted to violent ends in order to perpetuate our continued growth. If Stephen Hawking’s concept of aliens is accurate, then extraterrestrial life could develop into a species equally driven to protect its best interests. “I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach,” says Hawking.

We are not alone: contacting alien life

Humanity has made serious scientific attempts to connect with extraterrestrial life since the 1970s, according to Red Orbit. Such U.S. space missions as Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 were intended in part to be of the space “time capsule” variety, and the later Voyager missions actually brought sound and image recordings into the great beyond. In 2008, the Beatles’ “Across the Universe” was broadcast toward Polaris. It will get there in 2439, reports Red Orbit. By then, quick personal loans may be an intergalactic venture. It could happen. The current popular sci-fi video game “Mass Effect 2” offers the player a holographic payday loans ad at one point, so don’t knock it. Stephen Hawking’s aliens prediction didn’t include consumer finance talk, but that doesn’t mean a galactic traveler won’t need a boost once in a while.